Repayment
by SmileThroughLies
Summary: Bella was an average girl until a werewolf saved her life. Now she must 'get close' to a dangerous vampire and his family in Forks. What happens when she finds herself falling for the wrong guy? *Any necessary author notes on profile, not in story!*
1. Prologue

I ran down the stairs, mercifully only stumbling near the bottom step. My mother raised her eyebrows at my sudden appearance in the kitchen, but wisely decided not to comment.

I, Isabella Swan, was not the most grateful person in the world, and I had long since come to terms with that fact. However, I did not need the humor or sympathy my balance problems produced at my expense. Reneé had lived with me long enough to know that I would only blush blood red if she brought up my near tumble.

I walked over to the refrigerator and stared into it blankly. I wasn't really hungry, but Reneé felt that I should at least try to eat breakfast in the mornings so I grabbed the carton of milk with the intent of preparing a bowl of cereal.

"Mom," I called. "Did you buy any more raison bran?" My mother was famous for her forgetfulness.

"Um . . . did you check the cabinet over the stove, dear?"

I pulled open said cabinet, shaking my head at Reneé's loopiness. As expected, the cereal was there, sandwiched in between seasonings and extra oven mitts.

"Found it, Mom. Thanks."

After finishing my unwanted food, I knew I couldn't put off my duty any longer. I washed my bowl and spoon, concentrating on the task as if it was of the utmost importance. With the dish and utensil dried and put away in their places, I retreated back upstairs. Reneé struggled to keep the smile off her face as she watched my determined march. I pretended not to notice. She believed that my behavior was caused by a determination not to fall.

The door of my bedroom was standing ajar, just as I'd left it. I took a deep breath before wrenching it open further and stepping inside.

My bedroom was one of only three doors on the second floor of the house I shared with Reneé. The other two were my mom's bedroom and the shared bathroom, respectively. It might have been small compared to some of the houses in our upscale community, located in Phoenix, Arizona, but it was home, and I loved it. Now, though, I'd rather be anywhere else.

The large wolf turned as I entered my room. Although I knew what had been awaiting me, I still drew in a noisy breath at the sight. The wolf's lips pulled back in a canine smile in response. I blushed.

"So," I began, trying to alleviate the awkward silence and my own embarrassment. "Why did you need to see me today?"

The enormous wolf rolled his eyes and gave me an unmistakable look. Of course, he couldn't use human speech in his current form. He would have to morph into his normal body to answer my question. I could see him prepare for the change.

"Wait," I said hurriedly. "Why don't you step into the bathroom first? I think there's still a pair of men's sweatpants in there from when my mom was sorting laundry." For once, I was thankful for Reneé's eccentricities. A werewolf only has control over his own body and can't remain clothed during the phase. I didn't need a naked man in my bedroom this early in the morning . . . or ever, for that matter. Things couldn't get much more awkward than that.

The wolf nodded, but I could see his amusement at my rapid offer. Despite how hard I fought against it, I blushed deeply for the second time that morning.

"If you want to," I added belatedly.

But the werewolf sprang forward, giving me just enough warning to cower out of his way. I saw too late that the door to the bathroom was shut firmly, and I shook myself out of my stunned stupor in time to turn the knob and step back.

There was only a few minutes' wait before a young man with deep russet skin and chin-length, straight black hair walked out of my bathroom, wearing a pair of my mom's sleepwear.

He smiled at my nervous expression before saying: "Come on; let's go back to your room."

I nodded jerkily. We both turned and crossed the short hall. When the man and I reached my doorway, he stepped back with a mocking half-bow and gestured for me to enter first. I raised my chin and did my best to stride gracefully into the room. However, needless to say, that didn't happen. I somehow managed to catch the toe of my tennis shoe on the doorjamb and begin my familiar and completely ungraceful fall forward.

When my face didn't make contact with the floor, I opened my eyes in surprise. Only then did I notice the overly warm hand wrapped around my upper arm and Jacob Black's close proximity to me.

I looked down, twitching my hair with one hand so that it flowed over my shoulder and hid my face from view.

"Thanks for that," I said, still staring intently at my flecked carpet.

"No problem," the man responded breezily as he guided me further into my room. "You seem to do it all the time." My head shot up at that.

"You only met me a couple weeks ago." I said argumentatively.

His smirk was much more obvious on a human's face.

"Yes, but you've managed to trip and fall on at least twenty times during them." He paused for a second. "And I've known your family for much longer."

I was confused.

"But Reneé's never met you, has she?"

He snorted in amusement.

"No. I was talking about your dad."

"My father," I repeated. My parents had divorced shortly after I was born and, aside from a few summer visits to his home in Washington, I'd never spent much time with my dad, Charlie.

"Yep, your daddy dearest." Jacob always seemed to use a condescending tone when he spoke to me, and I hated it. "He's part of why I'm here, by the way. I need you to do me a favor, and I need you to do it by going to live with Charlie."

"What do you need me to do?" I asked warily. I couldn't exactly refuse to help this werewolf in front of me; I owed him my life.

He smiled once again, as if he was enjoying a private joke.

"I need you to get close to a . . . certain creature for me."

"What-what kind of creature?"

"A vampire."


	2. Chapter 1

I stepped off the plane and entered the gloomy, overcast city that was Port Angeles. The other departing passengers milled around, looking for their loved ones and picking up luggage. I felt removed from them - the _normal_ people.

I scowled at the word. Until a month ago, I was one of them. Now, though, due to my terrible talent for attracting all things dangerous, I was working for a mythical creature. I just loved my life sometimes.

There was no definitive reason as to why Black had been near that teenage hangout in the first place. I didn't believe his 'I was meeting someone' line for a second. But, nevertheless, he was there, and I had been grateful for it.

The school I attended in Phoenix was full of preppy snobs who were incapable of thinking of anyone besides themselves. I couldn't blame them; I was sure that if my mother and I had more money, then I would have the same qualities. At least, that's what I told myself, day after day, when they laughed at my stumbles and awkwardness. So, when I was invited to a party at The Emerald, I jumped at the chance to prove to my classmates as well as myself that I was worth their time.

Thinking back, the invitation reminded me of every teen movie prank that I had ever seen. But, I had gone - as stupid as it sounds - and I still regretted it.

When I'd first arrived, the 'popular girls' surrounded me to keep up the charade. They chattered about each other's outfits and who was expected to show. I'd desperately tried to keep up with them, but I'd had to settle for nodding and smiling a lot as they'd ushered me inside.

The Emerald was more of a classy underage club than anything else. Reneé would have had a fit if she'd have known I'd ever gone there. I'd told her I was going to the public library after school that day, and she'd believed me. My lack of a social life meant that I spent many hours reading by myself. Despite all that, I'd only felt a little nervous as I walked into the flashing lights and blaring hip-hop music that spilled out onto the street.

The night had gone amazingly well, all things considered, until AJ Braeson arrived with some of his buddies. Once the star quarterback of the football team, 'The Hammer' was almost as much of an outcast as I was. Not that that meant we got along. I was proud to say that I had never had the misfortune of holding a conversation with him. After the loss of both his parents in a freak car accident, AJ had turned to breaking-and-entering and as many drugs as he could get his inheritance-filled hands on to forget his troubles. The rest of the school refused to dirty their reputations with him, and I'm sure their parents made sure that his name was never mentioned. His sudden appearance at the party was the beginning of the end for my quiet life.

The guys that AJ had arrived with were not members of the elite society in the city. As if to make his transformation more complete, he'd found some gang member wannabees to shadow him and make him feel more important.

They'd had the desired effect that night. A dead silence fell as the ex-jock and his cronies swaggered through the open doorway. I turned from the circle of girls who hadn't been completely ignoring me and stared at AJ in amazement along with everyone else.

"Why'sss everyone's suh quiet, dude?" he had slurred. It was obvious he had been drinking.

Aaron Dickins, the head of the popular group and 'The Hammer's' replacement on the field, had finally stepped forward.

"What are you doing here, AJ? This party's invite-only, man."

"Don't talk tuh me like that, 'kay? We can be hur if we want. We ain't gonna do nothin'." The four huge boys behind him pushed their way into the room. Not one of them was under six-foot or 230 pounds.

Aaron had faltered at the sight of AJ's friends.

"Al-alright. But we were about to wind down soon anyway." It'd been obvious that he was trying to get his Ashley out of the situation.

AJ had nodded stupidly and swayed over to an empty table, too close to my group for comfort. Several guys drifted over to claim their girlfriends, and I had found myself sitting at a suddenly empty table and wishing that I could just disappear into the floor.

Slowly, the noise level had risen, not quite to the volume it had been before the gate crashing, but loud enough to relax the tense atmosphere.

Deciding that I'd pushed my social luck for long enough, I'd risen from my chair, leaving my virgin drink on the table behind me. My light jacket was perfectly suited to the warm Arizona night but I pulled it closer to me for comfort. I hadn't realized how late it had gotten. The sun had long since disappeared over the horizon and the pale white moon shown weakly down on the street as I'd hurried home. I remembered wishing I had a cell phone so that I could call Reneé and ask her to pick me up in her car. I'd gone far enough from the club by then to make up some excuse for my obvious distance from the library. However, I didn't have enough friends to make owning a cellular phone necessary or even reasonable, so I had sighed and resigned myself to the long walk home.

I only had a few more turns left between me and a hot, relaxing shower when I'd heard it. Footsteps - several pairs of footsteps - were following me. Resisting the urge to turn around and look, I had tried to speed up my own feet, for once not thinking about falling flat on my face.

I would've had to have been an idiot not to realize who was stalking me, but I still jumped at the sound of AJ's deep, slurred voice.

"Slow down, hun!" he had called. I can still remember the sound of the guffaws his words produced from his personal gang. "We only wanna talk . . . sorta."

With my mind completely blank from panic, I'd broken into a crazed run. I had shut my eyes at the same time, because I'd known it was only a matter of time before I fell or the men caught up to me without help from my clumsy legs'. That was why I hadn't understood why the lumbering footfalls stopped all of a sudden.

Taken by surprise, I had opened my eyes - and tripped over a crack in the sidewalk simultaneously. There were loud noises behind me. Scuffling and rips, and even sluggish yells and growls. My mind had refused to work correctly. Of course, I couldn't have been hearing growls.

I'd rolled over cautiously, and what I had seen haunted me to this day. There was some kind of huge animal, at least the size of a large cart-horse, and it was attacking my would-be rapists. It could only have been half a minute since I had fallen, but I had clearly seen a limb, torn free of its proper place on a human body. Although the moonlight had been dim, I'd been able to make out a confused tangle of people, herded together by a large red-brown animal that was the source of the growling I had heard.

Trying not to vomit, I had averted my gaze from the sickening sight in front of me. The beast had continued its killing spree, judging by the screams and popping sounds that I hadn't wanted to examine too closely.

Finally, silence had descended upon the street once more. I had focused on controlling my breathing. I had been able to smell the blood that spilled from AJ and his friends, and it had made my head spin. I hadn't realized that the animal had approached me until I had almost collapsed from the intensity of the rust-and-salt smell.

I'd stopped breathing, staring into the wolf's - I'd finally determined what it was - eyes. It had stared back at me.

After an immeasurable moment, I had struggled to get upright. I'd been sitting on the sidewalk for only God knows how long, and my mother was sure to be worried.

Seeing that I meant to leave, the wolf had growled and blocked my path with its body. I'd frozen. My savior had turned into my captor.

"Okay," I'd said. "Um, thank you. But I need to leave now."

I remembered how silly I felt talking to an animal as if he could've understood me, but I'd just seen it rip apart five full-grown men in the middle of a major city, so I thought allowances could be made.

My stuttered explanation wasn't wasted, however, as the wolf had shaken its head at me. A very clear 'no'.

"Huh. Okay," I had agreed, not wanting to upset it. And I had stayed and watched as the wolf disappeared and reappeared as a Native American man. And I had listened to his half-explanation and agreed to his terms of silence. I had also agreed to pay him back for his help someday. He would keep in touch with me to make sure I kept my promises. But I never dreamed that I would have to go this far to keep them.

"Bella!"

My father's voice jolted me out of my recollection of that night's events.

"Over here, Ch-Dad," I called back. I wasn't supposed to call him Charlie to his face.

I waved to the slightly balding man dressed in a police officer's uniform across the crowded terminal. He spotted me and made his way over, carrying my luggage that he had obviously picked up while waiting for my plane to unload its passengers.

"Hi, Bells," he greeted as he pulled me into an awkward one-armed hug.

"Hey, Dad. How've you been?"

"Excited," he admitted. "I don't know what made you decide to call me up all of the sudden, but I'm happy to spend more time with my favorite daughter."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the ancient joke.

"I'm your only daughter," I said, forcing a smile for Charlie's sake.

He chuckled at his own cleverness. I couldn't blame him for his lack of good humor. It was obvious that he was trying hard to connect to his teenage daughter, whom he hadn't seen in years.

We made our way out of the airport and towards the police cruiser. I wasn't looking forward to traveling around in _that_. All things considered, though, 'uncool' transportation was going to be the least of my worries.


	3. Chapter 2

When Charlie and I arrived at his - our home, I felt my throat constrict. What was I doing here? I was taking advantage of my father's kindness. If it weren't for that Jacob Black, I never would have considered moving to Forks.

I sighed and stepped out of the cruiser. My reasons for coming didn't matter anymore. It was too late to change my mind, even if I could. I helped Charlie with my luggage and headed up the stairs to the bedroom that had belonged to me during less troubled visits. The walls of my old bedroom were painted a faded baby blue and there was an old rocking chair in one corner, remnants of my baby days. Thankfully, Charlie didn't offer to help me unpack. I wouldn't have been able to explain away the tears that fell from my eyes as I set up and sorted my new life.

After dinner - a disastrous affair as Charlie only knew how to prepare breakfast food - was finished, my father announced that he had taken it upon himself to enroll me in Forks High School shortly after I'd spoken to him about moving. The result was that I was expected to start bright and early the next day. I mentally corrected him. No day in Forks started out bright, or ended that way, for that matter.

Nevertheless, I said nothing. I simply nodded, trying to quell the sudden butterflies that fluttered painfully in my stomach at the thought of joining a new school in the middle of the term. I knew that I should be nervous about the favor the werewolf had asked of me, but I couldn't summon up the same amount of fear for a bloodthirsty mythical creature as a crowd of teenagers did.

"How will I get there, Dad?" I asked. I would have loved to have a car of my own, but Reneé had made it exceedingly clear that I was lucky to have my driver's license at all.

Charlie's face broke into an excited smile, and I eyed him warily.

"Well, here's the thing, Bells," he began. "I kind of bought you a car."

I stared at him for a second before squealing.

"No way, Dad!" I couldn't believe it. Charlie wasn't much better off than Reneé.

He smiled even wider at my typical girly reaction. I had to know what the car looked like. I ran outside, wrenching the front door open on my way out. Predictably, I stumbled over the first porch step. Looking up, I saw an ancient red, Chevy truck, partially hidden behind a curve in the road. It had flecks of rust coating its excuse for a paint job and a cab design that hadn't been used in decades, and it was perfect.

I turned back towards the house and flung my arms around Charlie, who had followed me out. He looked shocked at the sudden hug.

"I love it, Dad," I said sincerely. "It's great, but I hope you didn't spend too much on me."

Charlie patted me head awkwardly. He had never been one to express his emotions freely.

"Don't worry about it, kiddo," he said gruffly. "I got from a buddy of mine. He's in a wheelchair now and didn't have much use for it." He paused. "I'm glad you like it."

I smiled up happily at my father and stepped back. Then I remembered the conversation that had led to the big reveal.

"I guess I'd better get ready for bed now." I sighed. "Big day tomorrow."

"You'll be fine," Charlie mumbled. He seemed eager to get indoors and avoid another emotional outburst.

When I was showered and dressed in my most comfortable pajamas: an oversized pair of fleece bottoms and a soft tank with spaghetti straps, I climbed into bed and tried to focus on slowing my breathing. It was an exercise that I had developed to keep my mind off my problems and help myself fall asleep. Despite my doubts, I eventually drifted off to sleep.

xXx

The next morning, I awoke to the sound of rain pattering on my window. Groaning, I rolled over to see that I had only an hour before I had to leave for school.

I hurriedly jumped into the shower to make my hair somewhat manageable and dressed in a sweater and jeans outfit. I had the feeling that I would be wearing that combination a lot. After pulling my hair into a low ponytail, I went downstairs, prepared to use my first day of school as an excuse to skip breakfast.

However, Charlie had already left for work. I read his note of apology that he'd left on the kitchen table with a weak smile. Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all. I grabbed my boots and raincoat, the unofficial accessories of the rainy town, by the front door and took a deep breath.

"So how are you settling in?"

I let out my breath in a loud scream. Spinning around, I snagged my feet on the rug in the front hall. As I tumbled to the floor, I saw a very amused Jacob Black sitting on Charlie's worn sofa through the entrance to the living room.

He stood and offered me his hand. I ignored it and pushed myself painfully to my feet.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I asked, putting as much venom in my voice as possible. "How did you get in here, anyway?"

Black casually crossed back over to the sofa before answering.

"Back door was open. You would think that the police chief would make sure the doors were locked before leaving his teenage daughter alone and asleep." He shrugged off my angry glare and continued. "I'm here to give you a little more information about what you need to do."

"How kind of you." Sarcasm was my last defense.

"You're welcome," he said, gesturing at the recliner across from him. "Sit down. This may take a while."

I gingerly walked over to the chair and perched on the edge of its seat. The command in his voice hadn't been lost on me.

Jacob sat back, clearly at ease in the house. His arms were sprawled across the back of the sofa while his head rested against the wall. As always, he was shirtless, wearing only the bare necessities. I tried to avoid looking at his body, but it was like a train wreck. I didn't want to look, but, at the same time, I couldn't look away. He was muscled up in a way that contrasted with the softness of his face. Judging by his build, he was at least twenty-three. If I focused on his face and voice, however, he was only a teenager.

That voice interrupted my thoughts after a moment of silence.

"I thought that I should warn you that the bloodsucker isn't alone." My head shot up. "He lives with his family." He sneered at the word. "His coven, really. There are seven of them altogether."

I couldn't resist breaking in any longer.

"There are _seven_ . . . of them in this tiny town?" I wasn't able to frame the word 'vampire'.

Black nodded grimly.

"Yes. The two oldest ones are pretending to be a married couple that adopted the others. Four of the 'children' have chosen mates from within the coven, forming two more pairs."

My intuition flickered.

"And the last one?" I asked, already knowing the answer. "Is he the one you want me to 'get close to'?"

He nodded again.

"That's-that's insane," I gasped. "You want me to throw myself on this-this _thing _and hope that he doesn't kill me? Why? What could that possibly do to help you?"

Jacob was silent for a minute. Finally, he spoke.

"I wish there was some way to do this without putting you in danger. My father has been friends with Charlie since I was born." He gave me a searching look. "You probably don't remember, but you used to play with my older sisters when they went fishing down in La Push."

I was stunned. Jacob Black actually had a heart and a family? He grew up on the reservation barely an hour's drive from Forks? In the weeks since I had met him, I had never seen him this vulnerable. His face was no longer permanently formed into a mocking smirk. I struggled to hide my shock.

"Wait. Are you Billy Black's son?" I couldn't believe I hadn't connected the last names before.

His face transformed into a hard mask, as if to make up for his earlier slip.

"Yeah, but you can't anyone you've seen me. Especially Charlie. He tells Da-ad everything." His voice broke over the word, and I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to cause Jacob to hide from his family. The pain in his face was obvious now, no matter how hard he attempted to disguise it. He changed the subject quickly.

"This coven made a treaty a long time ago with the werewolves," he began. I interrupted again.

"There are others like you?" I asked without thinking. I blushed at my carelessness.

"Not anymore." The mask was back in place. "But that's not what I'm trying to tell you."

I nodded meekly, showing that I wouldn't cut into his narrative once again.

"The treaty states that as long as the bloodsuckers don't harm humans, the wolves have to protect their secret and leave them be." He seemed to choose his next words carefully. "But it wasn't a good arrangement. Their presence attracts others who aren't as . . . friendly, and no matter who they pretend to be, they are nothing but monsters. And monsters can't go for long without slipping up and doing something monstrous."

He looked at me. I assumed that was my cue to speak again.

"So . . . you want me hang around the single one and wait till he hurts me so you have an excuse to get rid of them?" I spoke slowly, trying to make the words sound less insane. "Why does it even matter that he's single or not. It's not like he'd ask me out before killing me."

Black shrugged. "It's rare to see a lone bloodsucker. Any of the others would have their mates to keep under control."

I thought about that for a second.

"But if they would try to help each other by making sure they didn't hurt any one, why do you want to get rid of them? They can't be all that bad."

It was the wrong thing to say.

The man leapt up and glowered at me, hands curling into fists. I was frozen to my seat in fear. I couldn't move. He was literally shaking with fury.

"Because they're filthy BLOODSUCKERS! They can't be trusted. They could massacre entire towns in one night. They drink _blood_, for God's sake!" Black's closed his eyes as he finished shouting. He seemed to be fighting for control, against his anger.

I was sure that my own eyes were wide with shock, but I could blink. My breath was caught in my throat, and I could feel my heart fluttering at an impossible pace.

After an age of silence, broken only by Jacob's heavy breathing, his eyes opened again and the trembling stopped. He inhaled deeply, searching for calm. He smiled apologetically at me.

"Breathe," he said.

I let out my breath, sure that my face was still terrified. There didn't seem to be anything that I could say.

"I'm sorry about," he said. "You just need to understand how dangerous they truly are. Especially since the younger ones are enrolled at your school."

At the mention of school, I jumped up in panic.

"Oh, my gosh! I completely forgot about school. I'm not even sure where it is. I'm going to be late for my first day." I scanned the room frantically for a clock.

"Whoa, calm down," Jacob said. "It's right off the main highway. You can't miss it, and you still have a good thirty minutes to get there. But weren't you listening. Five of the vampires are going to be there. They'll stand out a mile. That's where you should try to talk to the youngest one. He's has reddish-brown hair and gold or black eyes just like the rest of them."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Gold or black eyes?" I questioned.

Black nodded.

"I've noticed that the hungrier - thirstier they are, the darker their eyes get."

At this last bit of information, I noticed that there was a hole in Jacob's story.

"But if they do feed here, why do you need my help to attack them? They must have already hurt someone." Jacob sighed.

"They've kept their side of the treaty by drinking animal blood. But you have to remember that that's not their natural diet. They'd slip easily enough given the opportunity." He fixed me with a stern look. "Don't cut yourself anywhere near them. I'll be watching as best I can, but they have super-human senses, and I can only get so close. Especially at your school. Can you imagine your father showing up to arrest me for trespassing?"

I spared a fleeting smile at the mental image. Jacob Black would completely dwarf Charlie, not to mention the fact that apparently no one knew Jacob was in Forks.

"Okay, no bleeding, but talk to the youngest one?" I said trying to compose my thoughts.

"Yep," Jacob said, replacing his look of concern with his customary mocking smirk. "Simple as that. All I need is for it to appear like he wants to attack you and then they're all dead."

I forced back the shiver I felt at the finality of his words. I had to keep in mind that these weren't people Black was talking about murdering. I was helping him rid an innocent town of a large group of dangerous monsters. Jacob seemed to be unaware of the harsh tone his voice had taken on, and I didn't dare comment. So, I left the house, trusting that Jacob knew his way out without being shown the door.

xXx

I had made the drive to the school barely aware of my surroundings. I'd gone into the main office building and collected my schedule and map of the school, forcing me to smile as the chatty secretary made small talk. I had an English class first period. And then Government. Much to my surprise several students actually introduced themselves, rather than giving me the stares I had been expecting. Of course, I got plenty of those as well, but the small town folks in Forks were much friendlier than Phoenix teenagers. I half-heartedly attempted to attach names to faces. It seemed like I might actually have a chance of making friends here - if it wasn't for the obvious threat of the coven of vampires hanging over my head. Darn werewolf.

I had made myself tune into my teachers' lectures enough to determine that I was ahead in all my classes except Calculus. I had expected that; I had been in the accelerated program at my own school, but numbers and I had a long standing feud between us. I had used to the free time while I zoned out the dry lessons to turn the information Jacob had given me in my head. As hard as I tried, I couldn't reconcile my mind with the idea that evil mythical creatures were a part of the student body here at Forks High. It was beyond insanity, but I was much too afraid of Black's anger to disagree with him.

As I now walked into the cafeteria building - the entire school was comprised of smaller separate buildings - with a curly-haired brunette whose name I had long since forgotten, I was brought out of my ponderings by her sudden change of tone.

"And then, there's the Cullens," she said, clearly pleased to be the first one to dish out this piece of gossip to me. She nodded to the far side of the room. There was a table along the wall, removed from all the others. Its occupants sat extremely still, without touching their food. I felt an irrational disappointment at my inability to see their faces. Maybe I would be able to when we sat down.

"What about them?" I prompted as we made our slow progress through the lunch line.

"Well, I suppose you'll see in a bit, but they're all incredibly gorgeous. And they keep to themselves, hardly ever speaking to anyone outside of their family."

My stomach plummeted. I hadn't expected to see the vampires so soon. I tried to compose my features before the girl noticed my reaction.

"So, they're all cousins or something? They can't be in high school together if they're siblings." Jacob hadn't filled me in on their human charade very well and I couldn't afford them getting suspicious. And - as much as I hated to admit it to myself - I was curious about them, the Cullens. The name itself seemed to command the power of hidden secrets. I couldn't get it out of my head. The _Cullens_.

"Well," the girl - Jessica, that was her name - continued. "They're all adopted, so they kind of are brothers and sisters. But they're all _with _each other, though."

I decided to play dumb just to see how scandalized Jessica's voice could get.

"I can see they're all sitting together. What do you mean?" I said as we sat down at an already crowded table. I risked a glance over at our topic of conversation, and I could have sworn that one of the boys' head dipped lower, as if to hide a smile. I probably imagined it.

Jessica completely missed the obviousness of my question and leaned towards me as if she was telling a ghost story.

"The blonde guy and the really short girl with black hair and the huge guy and the blonde girl are _together_ together. And they were adopted by the same couple, Carlisle and Esme Cullen, so they live in the same house and everything!"

I resisted the very strong urge to say, "And everything?" I forced myself to widen my eyes in false horror, all the while thinking, If only you knew.

There was no mistaking the quaking shoulders of the large boy now. He was clearly shaking with laughter and doing a terrible job at disguising it. Although, Jessica was staring at the Cullens' table as hard as I was, she seemed to overlook the effect her words had. She couldn't have known that they were capable of hearing, though, so I supposed I couldn't blame her entirely. It appeared Jacob Black had been right able those 'super-human senses'.

With Jacob's instructions fresh in my mind, I made a split decision to do something the mousy Bella Swan would have done back in Phoenix. Raising my voice, although I knew they could probably catch every word anyway, I said: "And the fifth one? Is he _together_ with anyone?"

Jessica looked down for some reason before responding.

"No, but I wouldn't bother, if I was you. He doesn't date."

The rejection was extremely clear in her voice and face. She must have been turned down by him at some point.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, feeling a thrill of excitement. I was never this outspoken. "What happened?"

Her head shot up at that.

"What do you mean, 'What happened?'" she asked, defensive now.

I smiled kindly.

"Never mind. I thought that there might have been some gossip behind that. I figured you would know it if there was."

Jessica glowed at my compliment.

"Of course, I would know all the stories. But Edward's never gone out with anyone here since his family moved here a few months ago. He may not look like it, but he's really boring."

"Hmm," I said simply. I didn't want Jessica - or the Cullens - to think that I was obsessed with Edward.

I tried to keep my eyes off the far table during the rest of lunch. I'd have liked to believe that I didn't fail miserably at the task, but they repeatedly drew my gaze. From my vantage point, surrounded by chattering teenagers who didn't seem to notice if I responded to their questions or not, I could see that all the Cullens were flawlessly beautiful. Even the hulk of a teenage boy who had laughed at Jessica's comments had perfectly sculpted features. Now that I had a better look at them - the vampire family, I reminded myself - the two older males seemed as if they should be teachers at the school, rather than students. The two girls, a blonde with a to-die-for body and an incredibly slender female who wore her raven-black hair in careful spikes, were easily the most beautiful women in the school and likely in the surrounding counties. But, the one who drew my eyes most strongly was Edward Cullen. He was deathly pale and had dark shadows under his eyes that made him look somewhat sleep-deprived, just like the others. I supposed that was a common characteristic among vampires, but on the youngest Cullen, it seemed to . . . suit him somehow. As if it was a reflection of his past or of his character. Beyond harsh features, he had the face of an angel. Judging by his artistically messy, copper hair that fell gracefully into his eyes, this was the one that Black meant as my target. I felt a lump rise in my throat at the thought. There was absolutely no way that Edward Cullen would ever look twice at me, as prey or anything else.

When the bell signaling the end of lunch rang, I jumped up, eager to end my uncontrollable gaping. Several of the students sitting with me looked up at the abruptness of my movement. I blushed, but asked the table in general if anyone of them had my next class. It turned out that a shy girl named Angela did, so we walked off to Biology II together.

We didn't speak much as we neared the building, our heads bowed against the ever-present drizzle. The silence settled around us, but it was not uncomfortable. I had the fleeting feeling that Angela was a much better potential friend than Jessica could ever be. She seemed to understand that gossip was not essential to high school life.

The classroom was set up much like the science labs in Phoenix had been. The familiar black-topped tables that seated two were a welcome sight to my eyes. It was a nice reassurance that the world had not gone completely insane.

I forgot all of this when I walked further into the room, heading towards the teacher's desk to get my office slip signed. There was the boy - man - vampire - whatever that I was here for. Edward Cullen was sitting at the only desk with an available seat. And he was staring straight at me.

I was sure that he could hear my racing heart.


	4. Chapter 3

_I was frozen in his icy glare. His eyes, as dark as night, bored into mine. My thoughts spun wildly out of control. __Is he angry with me? Could he know why I'm here? What is he going to do?_

"Here you go, Miss Swan," the teacher said as he offered me the slip I'd handed him before I'd seen Edward and my awareness of everything else faded away. "It's Isabella, isn't it."

"Bella," I corrected automatically, unable to break eye contact with the vampire across the room.

"Well, I'm Mr. Banner. If you'll just take the seat next to Mr. Cullen there. Edward, raise your hand."

As if to destroy my hope that I had mistaken his identity, the deathly beautiful boy slowly raised his arm a few inches off the desk in front of him. His hand twitched in the air, and I noticed that the other was clenched in a tight fist, half hidden in his lap.

I nodded shakily, reminding myself to breathe, and made my way over to the vacant chair beside 'Mr. Cullen'. The short journey down the aisle between two rows of lab tables felt like a forced march to my executioner. I stumbled twice, once over a chair leg, and the other over my own feet, but I barely noticed the muffled snickers from my fellow students. Finally, I reached my seat. I turned to sit, trying to control the shivers that ran down my spine at the thought of turning my back on a furious vampire.

"Turn in your textbooks to page 208, class." Mr. Banner was oblivious to my panic as he settled into his daily routine. I tried to imagine that this classroom was identical to all the others I had been in before as I set my bag on the floor next to the desk. It leaned against a table leg, and I couldn't help but think that it seemed to slump down in relief. At least _it _was out of Cullen's reach. 

My gaze drifted to the front of the room, carefully avoiding the looming predator to my right. It was then I realized that I hadn't been issued a biology book. Could this day get any more complicated? I raised my left hand, being sure not to make any sudden movements.

"Yes, Miss Swan?" Mr. Banner asked, breaking off mid-lecture.

"Sorry," I said, blushing under the gaze of the entire class as people turned to look at the new girl. "But I don't have a book."

He blinked. "Oh. Well, I don't have any extras at the moment, but I'm sure you wouldn't mind sharing with Edward, would you?"

I took a deep breath as I reminded myself that the question was meant to be rhetorical. I tried to remember all the reasons why I couldn't jump out of my chair and shout that yes, indeed, I did mind sharing with the bloodthirsty vampire in the room. Because I knew that I was absolutely trapped. Cullen could never find out that I had been told what he really was. If he did - it was something I didn't even want to imagine. With the last bit of common sense left to me, I saw that the chances of me being attacked in a crowded room in the middle of a school were very low. Even if he - somehow - was aware that I knew his family's secret, he couldn't do anything about it now, surrounded by witnesses. . . . Unless, he was willing to get rid of them after he finished with me - 

No, I wasn't going to allow myself to think that way. This was the first day of school in a new town. No matter how hard today was, I would survive to make it home, just like every other kid who moved in the middle of the year. It was harder than it should have been to remind myself that the normal world still existed.

Jerking myself out of my self-inflicted downwards spiral of doom, I looked up to see that Edward Cullen was staring at me again. This time, however, he gave more of an impression of humanity. His eyes were still an impossible shade of black, but they held a forced mildness that sought my gaze. I mustered a weak semi-smile in response and shifted my body towards his half of the desk, the better to see the schoolbook he had opened on the correct page without my noticing.

The tension that hung unspoken in the air crushed my lungs and made it impossible to drag in normal breaths. My head began to swim before I pushed the dizziness back. I couldn't afford to be anything less than alert right now. I saw that the day's lesson was on cell theory, something that I'd studied in Phoenix. That, at least, allowed me to focus on the much more urgent problem in front of me.

I was aware of every shift of Cullen's weight. My eyes were quick enough to glance down without detection and note that both his hands were under the desk and curled around the wood. The rest of his body seemed to be relaxed and concentrating on Mr. Banner's lecture, his hands releasing their hold to flip the page on cue at regular intervals. From my limited field of vision - limited because I didn't dare make my observations known to the vampire - I could tell that his eyes traveled from the teacher's face to the text book, the model student. Slightly more confident, I used the time while Mr. Banner droned on about asexual reproduction as an opportunity to study Edward Cullen more closely. 

If forced, I would have to admit that this creature was the most perfect thing I had ever laid eyes on - or even dreamed about, for that matter. His features were flawless, strong, but effortlessly infused with a masculine beauty. The long sleeves of his almost formal button-down, collared shirt had been rolled up to the elbows, revealing unbelievably pale forearms with bands of subtle muscle wrapped around them. I was completely convinced that the rest of his body was equally well-built. He was a mythical monster, after all. As spell-bounding as his physique was, I barely registered the obviously expensive clothing he wore before my eyes journeyed back up to his face. A tendon stood out in Cullen's forehead, and my brain finally registered the fact that his jaw was clinched in either anger or constraint. _So he wants to attack me, but he's holding back._ My thoughts were ridiculously calm for the situation, but I couldn't seem to summon up the proper horror. I'd been sitting in this small classroom next to this major threat to my life for what seemed like hours already. My mind was simply unable to process danger anymore. 

Throughout the rest of the period, Cullen kept up his act of a student, interested in what was being taught. He never once glanced my way; it was as if I didn't exist. Only the angle of his book, turned so that I could see the pages, and the rigidity of his body showed that he was aware of my presence. After an hour-long reflection on Edward Cullen, I decided that I much preferred this behavior to what his body language when I first entered the room had suggested. I let out a gusty breath when the bell finally released us and Cullen rose and exited before I could process the movement. I reached down, grabbed the strap of my book bag, and left the room almost as quickly. As I hurried through the doorway of the classroom, I thought I heard someone call my name. I didn't pause.

The halls were rapidly filling with chattering teenagers. I envied their carefree ability to focus on the unimportant concerns of high school. I was so wrapped up in my gloomy thoughts that I barely noticed the slight figure in my path until I had bumped into it. 

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said automatically, stepping back.

"That's fine." The high, musical twinkle brought me out of my preoccupation with a jolt. I had walked right into another of the resident vampires.

This one was the smaller, dark-haired female. Alice - I remembered Jessica saying that that was her name - stood in front of me, unaware or ignoring the crush of bodies against her slender back as she stood still in the middle of the hall. She smiled at me while I gaped at her unabashedly. 

"That's fine," she repeated.

I felt unnerved as she stared up at me. I began to edge around her; her unblinking, grinning expression caused goose bumps to break out on my arms.

"Wait," she said, flinging an arm out to stop my escape. 

I froze. _What was she going to do? _

She stuck out her hand. 

"Hello, I'm Alice."

I stared at her stupidly for a moment, then her actions clicked in my mind. She was introducing herself to me. Like a normal person, like a _human_. 

I forced my own hand towards hers several seconds too late. 

"Hi," I said slowly as she grasped my hand and shook it energetically. "Nice to meet you?" It sounded like a question.

"You're Bella, right? I'm so glad you decided to come to Forks, Bella! This town is so small that nothing _ever _happens, but now that you're here, maybe things will start getting interesting, huh?" She giggled. I felt my eyebrows rise sky high.

Alice continued to hold onto my hand as she spoke, and soon it was numb with the unnatural chill of her skin. I pulled back slightly, all too aware of the damage this tiny little girl could do. 

To my intense relief, she relinquished her death grip on my hand. It didn't seem to quell her enthusiasm, however, as she was now bouncing in place. I racked my brain for an excuse to get away from this awkward social situation straight from a horror flick.

"I have to get to my next class," I said unoriginally.

"Ooo," exclaimed Alice, as if I'd just announced that I had a special mission to complete. I look over her shoulder pointedly, but she still didn't take the hint.

"I have to go now." I wasn't even attempting to sound polite now.

"Oh, I don't mind walking with you, Bella." Alice turned and looked back at me while she spoke. Her face never lost its happy grin. "So, what do you have?"

I stared at her in disbelief. _No one _could possibly be this ecstatic about a new kid. Not to mention the fact that this bubbly teenaged girl wasn't actually human. _Okay, _I thought. _I'm just going to act like I don't think anything's odd about this. _I glanced down at my schedule to collect my thoughts.

"I have Jefferson in Building Five," I read, hoping that the long walk through the ever-present rain would discourage her.

"Wow!" Alice was now walking next to me, parting a wide path down the middle of the hallway. "So do I."

This could not be happening. I struggled to remind myself that Forks High was a very small school, and that I would have many of the same people in more than one of my classes. Even with the numbers, though, it seemed to me a little far fetched that Alice Cullen would run into me right before we had our first class together. I then realized, belatedly, that although I had never confirmed my name with her, Alice continued to call me 'Bella' as if she was sure of it. _What would make her go to the lengths of finding out my name and schedule just so that she could walk me to class_?

We pushed our way outside past the heavy double doors that were apparently located at the ends of all the hallways. I pulled up my hood immediately, the movement already a reflex.

xXx 

I found the classroom with little difficulty, only half-aware of Alice's incessant chatter. She seemed capable of dishing out mundane school facts and gossip without end. It was more than a little unnerving. My mind was scurrying to produce a game plan. _This is what I needed, _I reminded myself. _I have an in to the Cullen coven now. All I have to do is play up this little thing with Alice until we become 'friends.' After that, I get invited over to her house, run into Edward where there would be no witnesses, and . . . . _I paused there. _And what? Just hope that Jacob shows up in time to rescue me? _I shook my head to banish the rising panic, swiftly turning it into a nod at what Alice had just said.

I realized that I had to commit to this little 'project' if I wanted it to work. After all, super-human vampire senses would surely notice a false note in a friendship. With this thought in mind, I chose a desk in the nearly empty back of the classroom and motioned for Alice to take the one immediately beside it. She gave me a wide smile as she gracefully settled her books on the desk and sat down daintily on the standard blue plastic seat. Her grin revealed dazzlingly white, straight teeth that made me second guess my decision. However, I forced back my shiver and smiled back.

Mrs. Jefferson proved herself to be a no-nonsense type of teacher. She hardly spared me a second glance after signing my slip, for which I was grateful. The moment the tardy bell rang, she began her lecture. I scurried to find a fresh notebook and pencil in my bag. Flipping to the first page of the spiral-bound that I'd found, I noticed that the other students were poised over their papers with a practiced air. Apparently, this was Mrs. Jefferson's usual teaching method. I remained bent over my desk as the class period wore on, honestly trying to record a decent amount of the facts and dates that the teacher spouted off effortlessly. 

I jumped suddenly and looked for the first time in half an hour when I small piece of folded paper landed on my desk. Looking beyond it, I saw the vampire that I'd managed to momentarily forget wink at me and raise a finger to her lips. I paused before picking up the note and reading it.

_You don't have to strain yourself. _

_Jefferson keeps all her lecture outlines online . . . _

_if you know where to look._

_I'll show them to you if you'd like._

I glanced up, shocked at how quickly this Cullen had taken to me. Judging by the scratching noise of the other students' pencils that still accompanied Mrs. Jefferson's droning voice, Alice had not extended the offer to anyone else.

Meeting my gaze again, the female vampire nearly stopped my heart with that seemingly innocent grin of hers. I dropped my eyes to the note again and made a split-second decision. It seemed like I'd made a lot of those recently.

_Sure_, I wrote, my hand only shaking a little. 

_But my internet connection at my house is terrible. _

_Maybe you can show me at yours?_

With a practiced look that every student tries to perfect, I studied the teacher at the front of the room. She turned to write an important event on the outdated blackboard. I reached across the aisle to place the refolded note on Alice's desk. I forced myself to return her secretive smile with a strained one of my own.

In less time than would have been possible for a human, the paper was back on my desk. Avoiding eye-contact with the female vampire, I unfolded it quickly to release the tension building in my chest.

_Haha. I know what you mean. _

_Of course, you can come over. _

_My parents wouldn't mind at all._

_I was going to invite you anyway._

My eyes caught on the last sentence. I felt my throat constrict, but I could not force myself to exhale. _She was planning on having me over at their house?! What does that mean? _Recalling that Alice was waiting for my response and probably watching my face, I raised my head and met her eyes. I nodded.


End file.
